Cancer Society supports smokefree cars

Feb102019

The Cancer Society supports the move to ban smoking in cars with children and has been actively advocating for this.

“More than 100,000 children are exposed to second-hand smoke in cars each week in New Zealand and there is overwhelming evidence about the health risks posed by second-hand smoke in cars,” says the Cancer Society’s Manager for Advocacy and Wellbeing, Shayne Nahu.

“There’s no two ways about it, second-hand smoke in cars is dangerous for kids.

He says, smoking in cars carrying children is banned in many other comparable countries, including Australia, the UK, France and most US and Canadian states.

He adds that children who are exposed to second-hand smoke are much more likely to go on and become smokers themselves.

“De-normalising smoking for these kids now, means they’re less likely to become smokers as adults and that will protect them from the increased cancer-risk that comes with being a smoker.”

The Cancer Society is part of the National Smokefree Cars Working Group, a coalition of health organisations and NGOs working to achieve the Government’s goal of making New Zealand Smokefree by 2025. Banning smoking in cars carrying children and young people under the age of 18 is one of the measures that will help achieve that goal.